13012025-LT-01.qxd 13-01-2025 00:49 Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune LUDHIANA ABUZZ WITH LOHRI PREPARATIONS SUPERHIT STREAMING SHOW PAATAL LOK IS BACK Bhugga, masala jaggery and pinnis have been specially prepared in large quantities by shops ahead ofLohri. P2 Actor Jaideep Ahlawat has shared that a lot of things will be revealed in season two of the show. P3 » A DAY TO LIGHT A BONFIRE, DON TRADITIONAL ATTIRE DENSE FOG MAX 14°C | MIN 9°C YESTERDAY MAX 15.7°C | MIN 10.4°C SUNSET MONDAY 5.42 PM The very first festival of the year, Lohri, spells new beginnings, new hopes and happy times. P3 » FORECAST SUNRISE TUESDAY 7:20 AM » MONDAY | 13 JANUARY 2025 | LUDHIANA Swearing-in ceremony, mayoral poll postponed Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 12 The swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected councillors followed by the General House meeting in which election to the post of Mayor was to be held have been postponed due to the demise of Ludhiana West AAP MLA Events put off due to demise of AAP MLA Gogi, next date yet to be finalised The Municipal Corporation office in Ludhiana. FILE PHOTO Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. The next date for the meeting has not been finalised yet. Earlier, the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for January 14. Ludhiana North MLA Madan Lal Bagga said it had been decided to postpone the Mayoral election in Ludhiana, keeping in view the death of MLA Gogi. “His death has sent shock waves in the party and we are yet to overcome the irreplaceable loss. It has now been decided to conduct the Mayor election after the bhog ceremony of Gogi. The next date for the Mayor election is yet to be decided. It will be announced soon,” Bagga said. On Friday, AAP had Cong councillor’s son among 2 held with banned drugs to AAP they could have , comfortably declared their majority. If MLAs vote, 52 votes would be required to prove majority and after new joining, AAP had reached the number 54. After the demise of the Ludhiana West MLA, the number has now turned to 53. “The Mayor will be elected after the oath taken by all councillors and the ceremony stands postponed due to the MLA’s demise. Gogi was a dear friend and will be deeply missed. Ludhiana politics will never be same without him and his death has created a void that can never be filled,” said Ludhiana Central Constituency MLA Ashok Prashar. Ludhiana has 95 wards and AAP had won 41 seats, Congress 30, BJP 19, Shiromani Akali Dal two and Independents three seats. Beware, flying kites with Chinese string may invite legal action Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 12 On the eve of Lohri, the sale of banned Chinese string, also known as ‘China dor’, picks up drastically. Kite lovers nowadays prefer to fly kites with the deadly plastic string only. Sellers involved in the sale of the same sell it without the fear of the police. Most of these sellers, who used to pile up stock of the banned thread two or three months before Lohri, sell it in retail at exorbitant prices. Sellers of the banned string are treading cautiously to save their skin from the police due to strict vigil. They sell the same to trusted buyers or shopkeepers only. The sellers keep the stock at undisclosed locations. Notably, the CIA-1 wing of the Ludhiana Police Commissionerate on Saturday made one of the major recoveries of the banned plastic string and nabbed three persons. The police seized a canter (bearing registration The suspects nabbed with banned plastic string by the police in Ludhiana on Saturday. number HR39F2461) and recovered 3,360 spools of the deadly string. The suspects were identified as Sahil Kanojia of Shivpuri, Vijay Verma and Lal Chand, both residents of Rajasthan. DCP Shubham Aggarwal and ADCP (Investigation) Amandeep Singh Brar had addressed mediapersons in this regard on Sunday. The ADCP while talking to The Tribune on Sunday said sale and purchase of the Chi- Policeman duped of ~1.27L by travel agent Ludhiana, January 12 The Ludhiana rural police arrested the son of a sitting Congress councillor. The Dakha police raided a crematorium and arrested Shahnaz Singh and his partner Rahul Goswami with 700 intoxicating capsules and 100 pills. Shahnaz is the son of a councillor of Dakha. Inspector Amritpal Singh, SHO, Dakha, said acting on a tip-off, a raid was conducted at the crematorium located on the Chak Kalan road. Both suspects were dealing in drugs in a blue car. The police seized the intoxicating tablets and capsules and the vehicle from the spot. Shahnaz is a resident of Indira Colony, Dakha, while Rahul Goswami is a resident of Link Road, Dakha. Notably, Shahnaz was released on bail in another drug case recently as on May 26, 2024, the police seized 35 kg of poppy husk from him. — TNS Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 12 A travel agent was booked by the Ludhiana police for allegedly duping an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Rs 1.27 lakh. The suspect, Sachin Puj, had promised to send the ASI’s niece to the UK for further studies. According to the police, the ASI, Gurmel Singh, had paid Rs 6 lakh to Sachin to facilitate his niece’s travel to the United Kingdom. However, despite repeated assurances, the visa did not materialise. When the policeman confronted the suspect, he returned Rs 4.25 lakh in instalments but refused to refund the remaining amount. The ASI had initially complained to the police on May 27, 2023, stating that Sachin had cheated reached the mark of 47 members. Ahead of the Mayoral election, four more councillors had joined the party and earlier, two councillors had joined the ruling party. With this, AAP had reached the number 47. They were still one short of halfway mark of 48 to prove their majority but with all the seven MLAs belonging him. The police investigated the matter and found the allegations to be true. Subsequently, the police registered a case against the man under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Sub-inspector Bibal Kaur, who is investigating the case, said further investigation in the matter was underway. The police were also verifying documents and statements of the suspect. He will be arrested soon, the police said. The police have advised people to be cautious while dealing with travel agents and to verify their credentials before making any payments. The police have also stated that anyone who has been cheated by the suspect should come forward and register a complaint against him. nese string had been banned by the Commissioner of Police in recently issued orders. Not only sellers but buyers or any person who uses the same for flying kites might also face similar action. “The police have warned kite lovers to avoid the use of the banned string and use only normal thread to fly kites. The use of the deadly string is dangerous for birds and humans. If the police catch anyone flying Woman crushed to death by bus Tribune News Service The city has been experiencing cold misty weather conditions for the few days. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN 11mm rainfall adds to chill in city Ludhiana, January 12 The city received 11 mm rainfall during the early morning hours due to which there was a chill in the air. It has been experiencing cold misty weather conditions for the past few days. As the day progressed, the sun shone bright and made the atmosphere little warmer. The maximum temperature recorded on Sunday was 15.7°C while the minimum was 10.4°C. Weather is expected to remain cold with the possibility of cold waves and dense fog over Ludhiana and its adjoining areas. As Ludhiana experiences a significant drop in temperatures due to the cold wave, the Civil Surgeon, Dr Pardeep Kumar Mohindra, has urged residents to adopt preventive measures to safeguard their health. “The harsh weather can cause serious health risks, par- ticularly for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and those with pre-existing medical conditions,” he said. The district Health Department was monitoring the situation and had ensured adequate medical facilities and supplies were available across the district. Awareness drives and health camps were being conducted to address challenges posed by the cold wave, Dr Mohindra said. — TNS Ludhiana, January 12 A 58-year-old woman died after she was run over by a bus. The woman’s legs were fractured and she was critically injured in the mishap. The woman breathed her last when she was brought to the Civil Hospital. The deceased was identified as Munni Mishra. She has been staying in New Puneet Nagar on Tajpur Road for the past 30 years. Akash Mishra, son of the deceased woman, said his father Harishankar Mishra works as a security guard at Navjeevan Hospital. His father called her mother on Sunday and asked to bring tea to the hospital as both of them would have it together. City residents all set to celebrate Lohri with colourful kites Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, January 12 City residents are known for celebrating festivals in style and Lohri is no exception. One thing that Lohri cannot be celebrated without is kites and city markets are full of kites of different sizes and shapes. Daresi is known for the biggest wholesale market of kites and dor (thread) using traditional method is also prepared here. A kite lover’s Lohri is incomplete without a visit to the Daresi market. In addition to Daresi, kites are available at Kailash Cinema Road, Field Gunj, Ghumar Mandi, near Division Number 3, Upkar Nagar, BRS Nagar, Model Town, etc. Colourful kites in different shapes with amusing and interesting messages are being sold in the market. Kites made with butter paper are a hit this year while Chajj, Pari, gudda remain the common ones and continue Commuters carry kites on a two-wheeler; and (right) residents buy kites at a market on the eve of Lohri in Ludhiana on Sunday. TRIBUNE PHOTOS: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN to dominate the kite flyers. Meanwhile, kites in shapes of owl, butterfly, bird, octopus, rocket, star, diamond, snake, diya and dragon have also been seen in city markets, which managed to catch the eye of young kite flyers. Then there were huge kites with a long tail, known as Machh, Sapp and delta. Tukkal kite, popular in Pakistan and north-west India, is burdened by three bows and is less aerodynamic. Pakistani Tukkal is in great demand for Lohri. Then there is one more kite that is made of a special material and despite crushing and crumbling, it won’t get torn. Kites with pictures of film stars, cartoons, politicians and kites with it, legal action can be taken in the matter. The residents have been urged to cooperate with the police,” Brar said. Meanwhile, Rubal Sharma, Devansh and Nishchay, all residents of Haibowal, here, said they already bought the banned plastic string for Rs 600 per spool. Last year, they bought it at Rs 400 but this year, the sellers have increased the price, citing strictness by the police. flags of countries, especially Canada, are also being sold in markets. Kites with picture of slain singer Sidhu Moosewala with his younger brother is also a hit. Some kites having pictures of both brothers has a slogan: ‘I am back’. Kites with Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh’s popular slogan ‘Punjabi aa gaye ooye’ is also being sold c m y b like hot cakes. Kites with messages like ‘Happy New Year 2025’ and Happy Lohri’ are also available. Ravi Kumar, a kite seller at the Civil Lines, said besides ready-made kites, people are also getting kites customised with slogans of their choice. “Such kites are ordered by those who are organising lohri functions or melas. Mini kites for decoration are also in demand,” he said. The price range of kites start from Rs 10 and can go up to Rs 1,000, depending upon their size and shape. A shopkeeper from Daresi said prices of kites had increased by 20 per cent this year. The tilla, which is fixed in the kite, has become costlier due to rainfall in UP . Sanjay, who runs a wholesale shop near Books Market, said he had bought kites from Rampur in UP which were best in , quality. “Price of a bundle of 100 kites starts from Rs 200 and quality was also good,” he said. Gagan, a resident of Kila Mohalla, said the kite season was finally here. “Lohri, Republic Day and Basant Panchami are incomplete without kites and the whole one month, we will enjoy flying kites whenever we get time during these celebrations,” he said. Meanwhile, the traditional kite string is being prepared by artists at Daresi Ground. “The sale of China string has affected the manufacturing of traditional kite thread. The China dor is harmful and people should avoid buying the same. A few years ago, there was a demand for cotton string made by hand with materials such as glass powder and glue. Now, it is replaced by the China string,” said a kite string maker. Following which, she went to the hospital. The mishap occurred when she was returning home from the hospital. His mother was mowed down by a speeding bus near Transport Nagar. After the incident, the bus driver fled the scene. The victim was brought to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The Police Division Number 3 registered a case against the bus driver, Harinder Singh, a resident of Kot Kalan village in Nabha on charge of causing death by negligence. Habit-forming tablets seized, three arrested Raikot, January 12 The Ludhiana (rural) police claimed to have arrested three drug peddlers when they were going to supply habit-forming tablets to their clients in various localities falling under the Dakha police circle. As many as 320 tablets were seized from the possession of the suspects, identified as Sukhpreet Singh alias Gujjar, Daljit Singh Sanni and Harnek Singh Mani of Raikot. DSP Dakha, Varinder Singh , Khosa, said police officials, led by SHO, Jodhan police station, Sat Pal, and in-charge of the Chhapar chowki Gurdeep Singh, had arrested the suspects from different places on the basis of a tip-off, when they were going to deliver the consignments to customers on Friday night. The police were yet to ascertain past criminal history of the suspects. — OC